College basketball preview: Five sleeper teams entering the 2017-18 season

Just more than a week away from the start of the college basketball season, USA TODAY Sports examines some of the most intriguing story lines in its Starting Five series.

Rhode Island guard E.C. Matthews shoots the ball as Creighton guard Ronnie Harrell Jr. during the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Today, five sleeper teams poised to break out this season.

Seton Hall

Seton Hall might be ranked No. 23 in the preseason Coaches Poll, but the team hasn’t won an NCAA tournament game since ’04 despite a program breakthrough over the past two seasons. There’s enough talent on the roster for the Pirates to turn heads by challenging Villanova for a Big East title and also go on a deep run in the NCAAs come March. Angel Delgado, the nation’s leading rebounder last season, held off on the NBA to come back for his senior campaign. Meshed with two other seniors, Khadeem Carrington and Desi Rodriguez, the trio provides both great experience and ample offensive weaponry for coach Kevin Willard. This team has Sweet 16 written all over it.

Coach Dan Hurley guided the Rhode Island to its first NCAA tournament since 1999 last season, and his Rams were possessions away from beating eventual Final Four finisher Oregon in the second round. After that breakthrough, the Atlantic 10’s power structure has shifted from stalwarts VCU and Dayton to make room for Rhode Island as the favorite. That’s partially about Hurley’s system and culture, and also due to key returnees. Senior guards E.C. Williams (14.9 ppg) and Jared Terrell (12.6 ppg) could make this team just as dangerous come March.

TCU

Jamie Dixon’s first season coaching the Horned Frogs (his alma mater) was punctuated with an impressive NIT championship. That’s usually a consolation prize for teams some years, but in this case it was a look into the future. TCU returns its top six scorers from a 24-win team. That gives Dixon a team poised to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998 and perhaps contend in the Big 12 with kingpins Kansas and West Virginia. Vladimir Brodziansky and Kenrich Williams are the big names on a veteran-laden cast.

Central Florida

Another team that fared well in the NIT, UCF enters 2017-18 with the highest expectations in the program’s young history. Coach Johnny Dawkins brings back the bulk of his starters and also welcomes several eligible transfers who can help the Knights compete near the top of the American Athletic Conference. UCF led the nation in field-goal percentage defense last season thanks to the rim protecting of 7-foot-6 big man Tacko Fall. But the alpha dog on this squad is B.J. Taylor, who averaged 17.4 ppg last season and is the type of player with takeover abilities that could bode well in March.

Texas A&M

The return of lengthy big man Robert Williams, a projected lottery pick in this past summer’s NBA draft, makes coach Bill Kennedy’s team stacked for 2017-18. Williams is a shot-blocking machine and the SEC’s reigning defensive player of the year. He’ll be accompanied by returnees Tyler Davis and DJ Hogg to make for a tantalizing frontcourt. The backcourt, which struggled last season, should be amplified by the eligibility of redshirt freshman point guard JJ Caldwell and arrival of Marquette transfer Duane Wilson.

Sixth Man: Arizona State – Coach Bob Hurley’s rebuilding project should take a strong turn towards an NCAA tournament bubble team with better size and depth, mixed with the Pac-12’s softer middle-of-the-pack.